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Probation and Aftercare Service from 23rd to 30th April 2017 held the induction course for the newly recruited 305 Probation Officers at the Prison Staff Training College, Ruiru. The new officers drawn from diverse backgrounds will complement the government’s efforts in community corrections and ease the shortage of Probation Officers in the country.

In the key note address by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government delivered by Principal Secretary, State Department for Correctional Services, Amb. (Dr.) Richard Ekai CBS welcomed the new officers were welcomed to the Ministry and informed them of their important role in administration of justice. He also urged the new officers to be mindful of the rights of victims and the community while ensuring public safety and crime reduction.

Probation and Aftercare Service held a week long induction workshop for the newly appointed Regional Coordinators of Probation from 3rd to 6th April 2017 at the Nakuru Girls’ Probation Hostel. The induction workshop aimed to orient the Regional Coordinators of their roles and responsibilities as they took on their new portfolio in coordinating services in the regions.

During the opening ceremony, the outgoing Principal Secretary State Department of Correctional Services, Mr. Micah Powon expressed his optimism in the Regional Coordinators’ ability to steer probation work in the regions and increase the uptake and application of the departmental functions to boost performance. The Coordinators were encouraged to take vantage of their position in the criminal justice chain in providing solutions to challenges in the sector. In her remarks, the Director of Probation Service pointed out the important role the Regional Coordinators had in the regions.

The volunteers were received by Mr. Siambe, the Deputy Director of Probation Service at the Probation Headquarters. During the visit discussions were made on engagement of the JOCVs with Probation Officers together with JICA consultants to improve service delivery.

The JOVCs who possess diverse academic and career backgrounds had been dispatched to work in Thika, Nakuru, Bungoma and Kisumu Probation Offices for the next two years. Although Kenya was the first African country to receive JOCVs in 1966, this is the first time the Department is welcoming volunteers in specialized areas of Probation work. The Department looks forward to input form the volunteers in the field of data management, supervision and rehabilitation of offenders.

His Excellency the President on Jamuhuri Day, 12th December 2015 awarded the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) to Prof. Jennifer Wanjiku Kaniaru Khamasi and, Head of State Commendation (HSC-C) to Janet Mbithe Munywoki. These awards were presented by Mr. Micah Powon, Principal Secretary, State Department of Correctional Services to the laureates in community corrections.

During the presentation of the award, Prof. Khamasi indicated that her motivation to work with juvenile offenders was as a result of the need to reach out to vulnerable and unwanted children in the community. Prof. Khamasi has been supporting the Kimumu Probation Hostel, Eldoret where she is a member of the management committee. Through her efforts, the Institution now has an equipped library and scheduled learning programmes for the youthful offenders.

Mrs. Munywoki, the Executive Director of Legal Resources Foundation put forward that through her partnership with Probation and Aftercare Service, she has been able to bring change in communities in reintegration of offenders. Ms. Munywoki has been supporting with the Department for over 14 years where her passion to reach out to vulnerable offenders has seen been a consistent pursuit to make society a better place for all.

The long serving Director of Probation and Aftercare Service Mr. J.W.O.Oloo, OGW, retired from Public Service with effect from 11th November 2016. Mr. Oloo has had an illustrious probation career spanning more that 32 years of service. Mrs Mary Mbau has taken over the leadership of the department until the position is substantively filled by the Public Service Commission of Kenya.

During a farewell party organized in his honour, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Correctional Service Mr. Micah Powon exalted the outgoing director as an achiever, dedicated, passionate and exemplary public servant whose contribution in the promotion of alternatives to imprisonment will remain unmatched for a long time to come. He attributed some of the successes realised in the State Department directly to effort of the Probation Service under the leadership of Mr. Oloo. In the same function, The Commissioner General of the Kenya Prisons Service Mr. Isaya Osugo poured praise on Mr. Oloo as a colleague who was admired by many and whose contribution in offender management will be missed.

Mr. Oloo ascended to the helm of the department on 1st September 2005 rising from the position of deputy director of probation. Probation and Aftercare Service has seen tremendous growth in all fields in the last 10 years under his watch. Mr. Oloo will be remembered as having steered the department from being a small player in the justice chain into being a cog that it now is and playing a critical position in the criminal justice administration. His legacy cannot be gainsaid. The Service has evolved in many fields. From expansion of human resource establishment of probation officers of less than three hundred in 2005 to now over 900 (with additional recruitment of 300 in the offing), to ensuring upward movement and promotions of officers within all the ranks and, improvement of office infrastructure where modern office blocks now dot the countryside to enhancing the image of the department within the sector and internationally. He has left a restructured Probation Service with the creation of 11 regional offices to be headed by Regional Coordinators for ease of administration and coordination of services. The headquarters was also restructured to bolster both the administrative and technical components of the Probation Service.

Mr. Oloo has left a rich human resource capacity, cohesive outfit and a robust department able to steer the expansion and further development of alternatives to imprisonment in Kenya and beyond.